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Post by eaglemountie on Dec 30, 2014 12:19:10 GMT -6
With all due respect to scheme, the weight room and all other important aspects of a football program... We all know motivating your players is the key to moving a successful program forward and comes well before winning at a consistent high level...
How do you mentally get to your Jimmies and Joes? How do you make them run through a brick wall for you? How do you let them know you care? And much more than the packaged response of "build individual relationships," how do you bring those individual relationships between coach and player, player and support staff and all the combinations and create a team that doesn't crumble on 4th and goal to win a championship? How do you go about it on a daily basis and what sets you apart from the rest?
Team building, living a program mantra or theme, setting the bar high and never relenting, personal relation to player experience, creating a belief in the way you do things and having that belief set you apart from opponents (even if what you are doing scheme-wise isn't the face melter)...
Just thinking out loud... Feel free to add/comment.
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Post by fantom on Dec 30, 2014 13:13:14 GMT -6
If you, as a coach, are motivated and competent the kids will be motivated.
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Post by mattharris75 on Dec 30, 2014 13:20:19 GMT -6
I think you're minimizing the role of the off-season strength & conditioning program in creating a team that 'doesn't crumble on 4th and goal'. Having a great S&C coach is absolutely key to having a great program, in my book.
And I would also add that I'm of the opinion that it's not about getting players to 'run through a brick wall for you', but rather for each other.
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Post by s73 on Dec 30, 2014 13:50:47 GMT -6
Vince Lombardi had a conversation with a reporter once in which the reporter said "you are such a great motivator. What's your secret?"
He replied, "I surround myself with people who WANT to be motivated".
I can never remember EVER in my playing career wishing the coach would do more to MOTIVATE ME. I always saw it as an internal responsibility. Coaches NEEDING to motivate players has become a more recent and disturbing trend IMO. Not say we can't help, but if the expectation is that it's all on us then that scares me.
I love the saying "the harder you work the harder it is to surrender". This to me echoes the sentiments of mattharris. If those guys are willing to work their butts off in the off season, then they have a bigger stake in the in season. I have seen this first hand in my career.
JMO.
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Post by eaglemountie on Dec 30, 2014 14:32:19 GMT -6
I think you're minimizing the role of the off-season strength & conditioning program in creating a team that 'doesn't crumble on 4th and goal'. Having a great S&C coach is absolutely key to having a great program, in my book. And I would also add that I'm of the opinion that it's not about getting players to 'run through a brick wall for you', but rather for each other. Not minimizing but moreso focusing on the mental psyche of teenagers... |
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Post by s73 on Dec 30, 2014 15:28:55 GMT -6
I think you're minimizing the role of the off-season strength & conditioning program in creating a team that 'doesn't crumble on 4th and goal'. Having a great S&C coach is absolutely key to having a great program, in my book. And I would also add that I'm of the opinion that it's not about getting players to 'run through a brick wall for you', but rather for each other. Not minimizing but moreso focusing on the mental psyche of teenagers... Coach if you can figure that out, write a book on it & sell it! You'll be a billionaire!  Coach, I don't say that mean spirited. I just know that in the last 5 seasons we have competed for the division title in the last week of the season 3 times. The other 2 times we STUNK! I approached all 5 teams the same way. Now the 2nd guesser would say you should've approached these other 2 teams differently. But the reality is, both teams were not real talented, not great work ethic and really just played football b/c it was their senior year and they were "supposed" to b/c they were seniors. I think as much as anything that coaches get too much credit when they win and too much blame when they lose. IMO the best thing we as coaches can do is set up programs that give kids the opportunity to be successful. It is still their responsibility to take advantage of those opportunities. We certainly can encourage them and some of them will find that motivating. But when the rubber meets the road ultimately they must make these decisions themselves. Again, JMO. PS - I'm sorry if this comes off as "preachy". Not my intent. In my career I've had kids that were foaming at the mouth during a speech they were so amped to get their hands on somebody and kids during that SAME speech where I was about to put a mirror under their nose to see if they needed to be resuscitated. Motivation is really an intrinsic trait in my view. |
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Post by cecphillipsiii on Dec 30, 2014 22:03:02 GMT -6
In all reality, a lot of those original questions can be answered in the book: "3D Coach - Capturing the Heart Behind the Jersey" written by Jeff Duke. It's a great read that addresses many of those issues stated above. I was one that firmly believed that motivation is an intrinsic trait...however, we didn't have as many "distractions" as kids have today. We also played during a time where their more families with two parents in the home. So, yes, kids need that relationship to build that trust because everybody else in their life has let them down. Today, as it is stated in the book, you have #1 a Non-Involved parent where they could care less about what's going on in their child's life or #2 that Hyper-Involved parent where that child is going to be the next Deion Sanders at 5'6 142lbs and runs a 4.98 forty. Speaking for myself, if a teacher/coach was going to threaten to call my parents, when I got home, I knew it would be addressed no questions. Today, whether you are a teacher or coach, it's our fault! But it's a great read and I think you will enjoy it.
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Post by jpdaley25 on Jan 3, 2015 13:12:46 GMT -6
Keeping the kids focused on the goal, what it takes to get there, and on the rewards that come with success are usually enough to keep the majority of them motivated...then use the majority to motivate the rest.
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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 3, 2015 18:10:35 GMT -6
Not minimizing but moreso focusing on the mental psyche of teenagers... Coach if you can figure that out, write a book on it & sell it! You'll be a billionaire! There are books out there on this subject. A quick search on Amazon under coaching psychology will lead you to a host of books that can help in this area. I have read Coaching the Mental Game, Mind Gym, and Teaching Character through Sports. Avoid the books that focus on corporate strategies and find ones that concentrate on athletes or competition. A few months ago, I finished Mindset by Carol Dwyer. I shared it with my son (18 yrs old) and he said it changed his entire mental perspective on sports and life in general. You can find books used books in great condition for cheap. I pay more for shipping on most books I find...while typing this I just bought Successful Coaching for $3.75 in almost perfect condition. I commend any coach that has the foresight to see that motivating young people is NOT about you and what you bring to the table. But it is all about finding a way to get the most out of your players. s73 referenced the (internal) or intrinsic motivation that many high achieving athletes have. However, in this day and age, the number of kids wired like that seem to be fewer and fewer. And as he stated, it is scary that more and more of the expectation to motivate kids seems to fall on our shoulders. Understanding psychology helps a coach find techniques to instill motivation in players that might not ordinarily have it. And those that do have it, with practiced strategies, will only become better. You often hear that competition is 75% mental and 25% physical. Yet, we spend a majority of our time talking about the importance of the weight room? Wait, wait, wait...before you get your "tighty whites" in a bunch, I run my weight room like we are storming the shores of Normandy. But, I also spend a great deal of time focusing on what works above the neck. I feel that if you can combine a great weight room environment, with successful mental strategies, you have the makings of a winner. |
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Post by dubber on Jan 4, 2015 14:52:12 GMT -6
You can't fake it. Kids smell fakeness a mile away.
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Post by mattharris75 on Jan 5, 2015 10:30:27 GMT -6
You often hear that competition is 75% mental and 25% physical. Yet, we spend a majority of our time talking about the importance of the weight room? Wait, wait, wait...before you get your "tighty whites" in a bunch, I run my weight room like we are storming the shores of Normandy. But, I also spend a great deal of time focusing on what works above the neck. I feel that if you can combine a great weight room environment, with successful mental strategies, you have the makings of a winner. I agree with what you said, but I believe that people talk about the weight room precisely because of the other factors you listed. It's not just lifting weights in a vacuum. An excellent off season S&C program builds athletes both physically an mentally. It increases buy-in to the program. It teaches kids how to compete on a daily basis. It builds mental and physical toughness by regularly overcoming obstacles. The daily grind of that shared experience creates camaraderie, which builds a team who will play for one another. There's your motivation. Like I said before, I really don't think the value of a great off season S&C program (and coach) can be overstated. To me, that's the most important assistant coach in a program. |
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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 5, 2015 20:05:44 GMT -6
You often hear that competition is 75% mental and 25% physical. Yet, we spend a majority of our time talking about the importance of the weight room? Wait, wait, wait...before you get your "tighty whites" in a bunch, I run my weight room like we are storming the shores of Normandy. But, I also spend a great deal of time focusing on what works above the neck. I feel that if you can combine a great weight room environment, with successful mental strategies, you have the makings of a winner. I agree with what you said, but I believe that people talk about the weight room precisely because of the other factors you listed. It's not just lifting weights in a vacuum. An excellent off season S&C program builds athletes both physically an mentally. It increases buy-in to the program. It teaches kids how to compete on a daily basis. It builds mental and physical toughness by regularly overcoming obstacles. The daily grind of that shared experience creates camaraderie, which builds a team who will play for one another. There's your motivation. Like I said before, I really don't think the value of a great off season S&C program (and coach) can be overstated. To me, that's the most important assistant coach in a program. Coach, you bring up a good point. I must admit (and realize) that there are many, many good coaches out there that may not put a lot of specific emphasis on mental training, but count on the culture of their weight room to create much of that mental perspective/training/identity/etc. I just think the guy that can begin to master both realms of coaching can set himself a part from the crowd. In the same sense that you said, "I really don't think the value of a great off season S&C program can be overstated" is the same way I feel about mental preparation. We just may place a different percentage or coaching emphasis on what we feel more strongly about. But, such is life (and coaching). Thanks for your perspective. |
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Post by joelee on Jan 6, 2015 14:20:33 GMT -6
1. Don't be fake
2. Don't beat the kids down mentally and physically
3. Introduce them to being goal oriented, process driven people. (some have no idea without being told)
4. Promote the team friendships and playing for each other.
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